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In 1997, filmmaker Modesta Žemgulytė’s family illegally emigrated to Naples, Florida, in search of a better life. Using home video footage from 1997–1999, the film traces their everyday struggles, hopes, and the fragile promise of the American dream.
As Modesta’s mother pushes herself through years of exhausting labor, she eventually suffers a psychotic episode, forcing the family to return to Lithuania, where she is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Their pursuit of a better life leaves a lasting psychological rupture.
Decades later, approaching the age her mother was then, Modesta revisits this past through archival material and present-day conversations, searching for understanding and reconciliation.
Genre: Documentary
Stage: Post-production
Contact: akvilezilionyte@gmail.com
Modesta Žemgulytė is a Lithuanian interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and designer. She holds an MA from the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where her graduation film Objects with Stories received the Young Designer Prize. Naples, Florida (2026) is her debut short film after completing her studies.
Akvilė Žilionytė is a Lithuanian film producer and founder of ARTIŠOKAI, with a primary focus on author-driven documentary cinema. She has produced more than ten short films and one feature-length documentary, with her films presented at festivals including Ji.hlava IDFF, Hamburg International Short Film Festival, Filmfest Dresden, Drama International Short Film Festival and Vilnius IFF. She is an alumna of EURODOC, ESODOC and IDFA Academy.